National Assembly receives accreditation as a deaf aware organisation for the second year running

30/06/2014

The National Assembly for Wales is committed to reducing barriers to people who are deaf or have a hearing loss.

This commitment has been recognised by the charity Action on Hearing Loss which has accredited the National Assembly with the Louder than Words charter mark for a second time.

"The National Assembly for Wales is committed to ensuring that the work of the Assembly is accessible to all in Wales and providing services that are accessible for those who are deaf or have a hearing loss is a key part of that commitment" said Presiding Officer, Dame Rosemary Butler AM.

The charter is made up of ten quality standards used to determine the accessibility of the Assembly for staff, visitors and service users.

Some of the work undertaken by the Assembly to improve accessibility includes:

having policies and procedures in place to support staff who are deaf or have a hearing loss;

having an active Disability Staff Network;

ensuring staff are aware of different types of communication support; and

producing a subtitled video of each session of First Minister's Questions (FMQs) and working with S4C to pilot the provision of FMQs with sign language interpretation.

Richard Williams, Director of Action on Hearing Loss Cymru, said: "We are delighted that once again the National Assembly for Wales has shown its commitment to people who are deaf or have a hearing loss.

"Our Louder than Words best practice standards recognise organisations offering excellent levels of service and accessibility for customers, visitors and employees who are deaf or have a hearing loss. Hearing loss affects one in six people in Wales and we're encouraged to see the National Assembly for Wales ensuring everyone can access its vital services."